A Tale of Seven Kisses
by HaddocksOrTails
Summary: Upon losing a stupid bet Astrid has to kiss Hiccup every day for a whole miserable week. (And now Alvin is here to mess things up.)
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything, so these guys don't belong to me, I just really fancy them. **

It was a fine day. One of the finest ones of this year. Finally, it was summer. The sun was shining and the temperature went above 25 degrees. Most Vikings were sick in this weather and tried to hide in the shades or sleep through the summer days in their homes.

There was this one Viking, however, who was quite fond of the rare summer days that indulged his inhospitable home isle.

He was lying in the sand, at a very unpopular place not far from the southern end of the island. Why was it such an unpopular place? Well, it was basically a beach, a large lake with a small island in the middle, but the thing is with Vikings that they don't really like when water touches their skin. So they don't swim. Many of them rather chose the peaceful drowning upon falling into the open seas instead of the tiresome and humiliating swimming.

But this sunbathing Viking was different, in so many ways. He closed his eyes and inhaled the smell of the summer. Everything was so peaceful, and he needed that peace and quietness. He had so much going on, the training, the blacksmith apprentice duties, his dad...

His black dragon was silently sleeping in the shades of a large tree, not far from his master. Dragons were not the fans of the warm weather either, but at least they liked swimming. Hiccup enjoyed how the sun was burning his shoulders and his naked stomach. He was only wearing a pair of loose cotton shorts, perfect for swimming.

Suddenly something blocked out the sunshine sending a dark shadow over his eyes. It couldn't have been a cloud, the sky was crystal clear a minute ago. The shadow cleared her throat. "Having the time of your life?", asked the slim Viking girl who seemed a bit angry upon finding her favourite place occupied.

"Hey... Astrid.", answered the guy, blinking. "I was just swimming."

"Swimming?!"

"Yes, I can..."

"I thought you were..."

"Oh, because of this?", said Hiccup pointing at his missing foot. "Nah, I'm still a pretty good swimmer."

"You think so? How about we race to the island?"

"You won't have a chance.", said the boy laughing, while standing up. Meanwhile Astrid got rid of her clothes. Now she was only wearing the same type of shorts as Hiccup plus some bindings to cover her breasts. Hiccup took a deep breath. The bindings pretty much hid all the interesting parts of the girl, still this was the most undressed state he has seen her in the past couple of years.

"Okay", she said looking at the boy with a serious face, "whoever gets out of the water first, wins."

It wasn't a really long way away, and Hiccup was a 100 percent sure that he'd win. Astrid probably has been stronger for the first fifteen years of their lives, but as they got older Hiccup turned from a scrawny little nobody into a well-respected athletic young man.

Astrid was a good and confident swimmer. But of course she was good at everything that included any type of fast movement.

Still, it was Hiccup that came out from the waves first.

He sat down on the sand, waiting for Astrid to get out of the water. He was wearing a big smile on his face. A couple of second later, the girl reached the shore and seemed pretty angry.

"It's not fair, you are much taller than me.", complained, while sitting next to him.

"I thought you considered yourself the stronger one.", answered the boy, and it was hard for him not to laugh at her. It was quite obvious that the girl didn't fancy the idea of him being the better at anything.

"I'm the stronger, that's not a question.", she said, looking at him with revengeful eyes.

"Is that so, milady?"

The girl answered the question with a determined nod.

"Okay, we can make a bet. The one who can pin the other to the ground for 5 seconds, wins."

"Deal.", said the girl, "If I win, you have to make me breakfast every day for a week."

"Astrid, you know I hate everything that people do in the kitchen."

"Life's tough, you know. But if you're so sure of yourself then why are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous at all. It's fine. I can make you breakfast. Or I could, but I won't since I'll win this bet."

"Oh, really? And what do you want, you beastly creature, if I lose?", asked the girl with a hint of sarcasm.

"Somebody is very sure of herself. Okay then, let me think it over. I want to choose something that you'd really hate. You are far too arrogant these days."

Suddenly a really stupid idea came into his mind. A really very stupid one.

"Okay, I got it."

"Spit it out, then."

"If I win, you have to kiss me every day for a week.", he said and he immediately felt that it was kind of bad idea and he blushed when he realized what his hasty words had actually meant. But there was no turning back.

Astrid didn't say a word, just looked at him really angry. What an utterly offensive idea.

"I like eggs for breakfast.", she said finally.

"It's on, then. 5 seconds."

"Watch your mouth and start to wrestle.", said Astrid and with that she tried to overpower this annoying bastard. No, she won't be kissing him, like ever, what an outrageous idea. She has to win.

As for Hiccup, he kind of enjoyed when she jumped on top of him, trying to pin his wrists down, but he really didn't feel like cooking breakfast for a week, the idea of getting kissed for the same amount of time seemed a lot more charming.

It was an easy fight. He was a grown up man, and Astrid... well, she was just a woman, no matter how fierce fighter she was.

He was on top of her. He didn't sit on her, not wanting to crush her, but he held her wrists tight on the ground.

"Five, four, three, two, one. And I won.", he said triumphantly while letting go of her hands and lying down in the sand next to her.

"When do you want to start?", he asked her gloating over his power.

"When I'll be wrinkly, toothless and disgusting.", she said irritated. "You never said we have to start next day."

"Fair enough.", he said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I totally deserved this answer."

Astrid never looked back just dived into the water and swam back to shore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, dearest readers. I never thought that so many people would read this lame little story let alone review it. **

**So, you are officially amazing. (For granted, all fans of HTTYD are amazing, so you're double amazing.)**

**I started to write the next chapter right after receiving so many nice reviews and it turned out to be quite long (and I haven't even finished it yet!), so I've decided on posting a shorter part of it just to let you know that I'm working on it. [It's mostly about Hiccup suffering from being a teenager and a 'Hiccup' at the same time, so there's absolutely no action in this one.]**

**Dear Cyclone20: Thank you for reminding me, unfortunately my word processor is set to another language and it keeps changing my quotation marks. But've fixed them. (At least in this chapter.)**

**Dear Dawnbreaker Dragon: You can criticize me any time especially if you do it this nicely. :-) And you're absolutely right. The thing is that a) this the first time I've ever done any creative writing in English b) actually I'm sort of a dialogue writer so I'm always struggling with sentences that contain more than six words. Anyway, I'll try to do my best.**

**[And meanwhile I started to write another fic, entitled Dear Miss Hofferson Dear Mr Haddock. I just wanted to do something funny. Okay, maybe it's not ****_that_**** funny.]**

At first Hiccup was quite angry when Astrid walked out on him. 'What a cheater.', he thought, but on his way home, he reminded himself that his idea was kind of offensive - at least compared to some innocent breakfast cooking. Honestly, she had every right to act as she did and it wouldn't be nice to force her to do something that she didn't want to do, anyway. For the love of Freya, he wasn't sure about himself wanting to do it either... Why on Earth did he come up with such an idiot idea? This simple yet plainly stupid utterance now turned into some sort of a 'problem' and now he was overthinking as he always did with every problem he encountered in his life. He could literally hear the cogwheels clicking in his brain, making his head hurt and Gods, he really should be sleeping right now, but the unstoppable thoughts kept him awake.

The strangest part of this whole mess was that up until this point he has never even thought about actually kissing her. Like on the lips. With tongues involved. The grown-up way. Or whatever this was called. He only had some vague ideas about how it should be properly done... Oh, every time it came into his mind now, he felt that his cheeks (and some less innocent parts of him) started to warm-up and basically turn into flames. Stupid, stupid, hormonal teenage years...

He shouldn't be thinking about these things at all because Astrid was his _friend_. Like Fishlegs. Would he make the same bet with Fishlegs? Hel, no! He shivered at the thought of kissing... well basically anyone, but Astrid. Why was she any different? Shouldn't she be on the same level as the rest of their peers? Okay, she was a girl. Well, rather a young woman now, but Ruff belonged to the very same species, yet the thought of kissing her seemed almost as outrageous as putting his lips on Fishlegs'.

Shame on the blonde for confusing him and distracting his thoughts from more important things. Like dragons. Or work. Or sleeping... Because he really should be sleeping right now, he has to wake up early tomorrow and... Grrr... He didn't want to have these feelings. At least not right now, at the tender age of 17. He doesn't have time for this, he had so many things on his plate right now.

Anyway, it seemed that these feelings weren't mutual at all. She refused him right on the spot. Of course she sometimes gave a peck on his cheeks or lips, but that wasn't the real thing, besides she hasn't done it in the past couple of months... What's more, thinking back it seemed that these were just mere friendly gestures. Like "Let's give some charity kisses to this pathetic excuse for a Viking." She most probably saw him as a timid and vulnerable creature who was in desperate need of reinforcement and she was noble enough to offer it to him.

Oh, Thor, for some painful minutes he felt that he desperately needed that kiss, which was strange because up until that point he never even realized that he was missing it from his life. It was a bit like his lost limb. It was missing from his life in every second, that was a fact, yet after years of living without it, it hardly ever came to his mind that he was actually missing a foot...

Oh, maybe it was only because she denied the kisses. He refused him. That must be it why it's bugging him this much. (Or was he in denial?)

And as a matter of fact, he felt that one kiss would be more than enough. Like a proper one. He was not a greedy person at all, so one little kiss should do the trick. He didn't need seven. Perhaps kissing is not even a good thing. To tell the truth the whole concept of it seemed a bit disgusting. Not that he'd be disgusted by Astrid, on the contrary, he really fancied a lot of things about her. Like the way she looked at him, the way she talked, the way she smelled, the way she looked... But still. Tongues are quite disgusting, big slimy snails in our mouths. They might taste good, though. It seemed many people were into kissing (especially after a couple pints of mead). Hiccup wondered how Astrid might taste... From the smell of her it should be a combination of honey, winter lilies and sunshine... Oh, Gods, when did he become so cheesy?

Okay, he's just curious. It's only natural. He likes unknown territories, it's his nature. That's why he doesn't need more than one kiss. It's like, dragon riding - checked, killing a giant dragon – checked, kissing Astrid – checked. It's not like he would like to kill six more giant dragons, not to mention he only had three limbs left. Some things should only be tried once. Or not at all. Yeah, Astrid must be right, they shouldn't do this. Besides probably he repels her. That must be it. She basically ran off.

'Well, thank you very much, Astrid, for not liking me at all, probably I don't like you either.', came the angry and rather exhausted thought. 'Yep, everything is cool, I don't even care now, I'm gonna sleep like a baby.', and he tried to do it. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't a happy baby at all, but rather an empty broken nutshell...

When he woke up in the morning he felt so lucky that he had promised Gobber to be at the forge early and he hoped that if he worked hard enough he would be distracted from whatever happened last night because honestly, his stupid after thoughts were more than annoying now. He was sure that by the end of the day he would not think about that blond vixen who bewitched him.

One hour into work and his wish was granted, although not in the most pleasant way, to say the least. He was standing in the forge, at the wall, in a petrified state. His mind was pretty much blank now apart from the only thought that kept running through his brain. It echoed three sentences one after the other in an endless loop. 'Don't move. Don't even blink. Stop your heart, if you can.' These were the only thoughts he had when the sharp blade was cutting into his skin...

**Okay, don't worry, I'm not turning it into a CSI-HTTYD crossover. :-) I'll try to update it soon (but only if you want me to), I'm pretty sure we'll get to the first kiss by the end of the next chapter. Or we won't. We all know Astrid has stubbornness issues.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, thank you very much for putting the story on your alert and fav lists and an extra thank you for all the reviews. I'm still quite unsure about whether I should continue this story or not, because well... It still feels a bit awkward (and I have insecurity issues :-). On the other hand during a lengthy yoga session I figured out all kisses and most of the story line. (Originally I wanted to go with a totally different story, which I might do later on, but I'm starting to like the idea of this story too.) **

**Dawnbreaker Dragon: Hah, you misinterpreted the end of the story (or was I the one who misled you?), but actually I kind of like the idea of giving it a semantically ambigous ending.**

**But now the veil is being lifted. Hope, you like what you see under it.**

* * *

"Do you think it's sharp enough?!", shouted his attacker, "Because I don't! And I'm not paying for this, but you're going to pay for it!"

Hiccup felt that a little trail of blood ran down on his Adam's apple... It was kind of ticklish. He had no idea what to do now, he had never thought that danger was lurking in the forge... Well, back in the old days when dragons attacked them, it was natural to be alerted in all places and all times, but since these things seized to happen, even the most cautious Vikings became laid back and relaxed. Not to mention Hiccup, who actually trusted people, even those he shouldn't have.

He was nothing like Astrid, who was always alarmed and reacted in quarter of a sec to every threat she was faced with. What would she do now? What would she do if a complete idiot was pushing her to the wall, holding a freshly sharpened knife to her throat simply because he was not content with the work of the blacksmith's apprentice? He only wished he could ask her, but unfortunately she wasn't around.

His master, Gobber, however was close enough. Probably he wasn't as fast and crafty as Astrid, but when he saw that his apprentice was in a very big trouble he never hesitated. His hammer-hand came down on the boy's attacker, bang, bang, bang. He hit him a couple of times, hard enough to put the man to the ground. Afterwards he even kicked him a little bit in pure delight, just to make sure that he stayed where he was. It was a violent, yet quite understandable reaction, but what's more important, it was very effective. The boy was saved and was only a tiny bit hurt, it seemed, as he was panting at the wall. It could have been worse. A lot worse. The problems with this kind of crazy asses is that you never know when they go completely cuckoo...

There was a large crowed of people in front of the shop, the news of the village idiot attacking the chief's son traveled fast among the villagers. Most of them seemed worried, others just came down for the show, for granted, without the drangons' attack Berk was a little bit boring these days.

Suddenly with a loud bang the smithy's door shattered into a thousand little pieces. A gigantic Viking, also known as Stoick the Vast, stood at the door, his eyes looked like that of a rabid dog. He wasn't very far when he heard that one of the most freakish persons of Berk attacked his son. Normally, Viking fathers weren't that worried about their sons, and eventhough Hiccup was officially a town hero / dragon killer in the past three years, Stoick still saw him as the scrawny little thing he was in his early teenager years.

The chief stepped inside and immediately noticed his son, who was caughing doubled up in the left corner of the forge. He had his hand on his throat but, thanks Odin, other than that he seemed fine. Gobber was in the middle and he was packing up a pile of flesh that roughly resembled to a human.

"What on Earth has happened here?", asked the tribal leader, his strong voice sounding like a thunderstorm.

"Aye, that idiot, Cess. You know, we agreed on not to give him any weapons but he came in to have his carving knife sharpened, who'd have thought he goes berserk and attacks Hiccup?", summerized the blacksmith, shaking his head in disbelief. "Why did we even need village idiots? Should have fed him to the dragons when we had the chance."

Stoick went to his son who has's just collected himself and put a tender, fatherly arm on his shoulder, "Son are you alright?". Hiccup nodded. "Okay, then I want you to go back our house and wait for me till I clean this mess up.". Before the boy could deny commandment, his titanic father added, "No dragon training for you today.".

Hiccup had no other choice but to obey his father's order. He didn't want to argue about his being absolutely fine because to tell the truth he was a little bit shocked. He can miss one training session, for sure. Or he might as well go and ride his dragon later on, that's close enough to training. And... well... probably it's also a good thing that he doesn't have to face Astrid today. Not in his current, vulnerable state, anyway.

* * *

Astrid arrived to the afternoon training a little bit late. She didn't really fancy the idea of meeting Hiccup after the things that had happened the night before. She felt a bit shamed. She knew that the boy won fair and square, but she chickened out. She was not a good loser to say the least, but kissing him even once sounded as the scariest idea ever, let alone seven times in a row.

Besides, a gentleman would never ever take chances on his milady. Or what. Was she his milady? She was confused. Distracted. And afraid. She, the once fierce warrior, was actually afraid of kissing a boy. A regular boy. Who she actually liked a bit.

Of course, he was annoying sometimes and awkward but far less annoying and awkward than the rest of the village. Plus, the more she thought about it was the more obvious that she was actually curious. She was 17 and never had any experience with the other gender (or with the same gender, for that matter) and deep down in her heart she really wanted to know and learn some things. About boys. Or should she say men? Were they old enough to be called men and women? Hiccup still had his boyish smile but he also had stubbles on his chin. Astrid wondered how they'd feel under her palm...

Okay, what if she suggested him to do like one or two kisses? Instead of seven. Probably it was just the number that scared her. Seven sounded too much. Maybe he'd agree on lowering the bar and didn't consider her a cheater and a sore loser afterwards. With that thought she comforted her uncertainty and decided to behave at the traing as if she has done nothing wrong or questionable. Yes, she would definitely approach him with this suggestion, so instead of this total awkwardness everything will be all right. One kiss, maximum two kisses and everything will be the same again. They'll be buddies and do fun stuff together, like they always did. Yay.

* * *

So she arrived at the arena in a kind of elevated mood (at least compared to the deeply under the weather state she was in all morning), and quickly said hello to Ruff, Tuff, Fishlegs and even to Snotlout but... someone was missing. She immediately sensed that something was wrong, because Hiccup who basically lived (and almost died) for dragons would have never missed a single session.

'Okay,', she thought, 'I don't think it's weird if I ask where he was. It's a totally normal question, I think I can ask it sounding pretty normal.' So she cleard her throat and decided to turn to Fishlegs because he was still the most normal of all four of them. "Omm, where is Hiccup?".

"Haven't you heard it?", asked back Fishlegs looking at her with disbelief in his eyes. "I thought everybody had heard it. There was quite a fuss..."

"Spit it out or I'll cut you up.", said the girl in a fast and mean manner, sensing that this time something really had happened, not even trying to hide her concerns.

"Easy, Astrid, easy, I think Berk has seen enough violance today.", answered Fishlegs, and the lack of information and the mention of 'violence' made Astrid even more furious. So she jumped on him and put her right hand up in the air as if she was about to punch him in the face.

"Answer the question. What happened to Hiccup?"

Looking at her, Ruffnut raised a brow. Of course they were all good friends and they all worried about each other sometimes but Astrid's reaction was a bit quick on the draw... But she might as well do a favour to Fishlegs and save his ass from an obviously stronger person. Ah, she felt so overly nice when she stepped closer to them and tried to calm Astrid down. "Take it easy, sis, nobody was harmed."

As it turned out the comforting words of a female friend weren't quite enough for Astrid this time.

"Would someone please tell me, before I burn down this whole village?", screamed the girl aggitated and shaking with anger. Ruffnut was not the sharpest tool in the shed, but she understood that it's probably for the best if she tells exactly what happened before Astrid actually harms someone. Or all of them.

"So, that idiot Cess, you know, Mildew's ex next door neighbour, came to the forge in the morning and asked Hiccup to sharpen his knife. When Hiccup did the job, it seems that he wasn't overjoyed with the result and being an idiot, he grabed Hiccup by the neck, pushed to the wall and put the blade to his throat to test its sharpness. That's it."

"And?", Astrid was almost in tears now, her heart racing like hell.

"Oh, yeah, Gobber beat the crap out of him with his hammer-hand. Boy, he looked I don't know... well, he looked flat. And bloody."

"It was awesome!", added Tuffnut cheerfully, high fiving his sister.

"Then Stoik wanted Hiccup to stay at home till he gets a boat and transports Cess to Outcast Island. He looked quite angry, and said he never wanted to see him on Berk again."

"So... where is Hiccup now?", asked Astrid in a little bit calmer voice while getting off of Fishlegs.

"In his room, I guess.", added Ruffnut.

"Okay, I got to go now.", said Astrid, not caring about what the others thought about her worrying too much about Hiccup.

"But Astrid...", started Fishlegs, "What about training?"

"Don't care about it.", said Astrid and waved a quick goodbye to the others.

* * *

She was a little bit nervous when she arrived to the front door of the chief's house. Her thoughts were getting back to a horrible vision of Hiccup getting killed by some random freak. She wanted to see him, wanted to be sure that he was alright, but after last night, she had to collect all her courage to knock on the massive wooden door. The door immediately opened and a huge, brawny Stoick stood in front of the nervous girl.

"Hey, Astrid. Can I help you?"

"Hello chief, I just wanted to check on Hiccup, I've heard what happened... And I've brought him a little something.", said she holding up the sack she collected from her home on the way to the chief's house.

"Astrid, I'm actually glad, you are here.", started the chief. He stepped out from the house and closed the door behind himself to get some privacy with Astrid. "Listen, girl. I'm just about to leave with the ship that's taking Cess to the shore of Outcast Island, I won't be back for a couple of hours, I'd appreciate if you could look after Hiccup while I'm gone. Could you do that for me?"

It was no question that the mighty father was worried about his son a lot, and Astrid, eventhough she still felt a bit awkward about meeting Hiccup, knew that she had to obey her chief.

"Of course, I'll look after him."

"Okay, then go up to his room, I have to leave now.", and with that said he walked away, leaving the confused girl at the threshhold of his house.

* * *

Astrid carefully opened the door, then silently closed it behind herself. She went to the stairs and before taking the first step, she arranged her braid a little. She couldn't understand why she had done it, must have been some kind of an instinct, because she was absolutely sure that she didn't care what Hiccup thought about her looks. Or did she? Thor, why are feelings always so complicated?

As she started to walk up the squeaky stairs an irritated voice came out from Hiccup's room.

"Dad, I've already told you a million times that I'm prefectly alright. No need to come up every ten minutes."

Astrid reached the door of the room and opened it slowly. There he was, sitting at his desk, drawing something, as usual. Nothing seemed to be wrong, but still, from his voice she could hear that he was quite nervous which was very different from his usual calm self.

"Sorry to disturb you, Hiccup.", she said upon stepping inside his room.

"Oh, it's... you.", said the boy looking at her while not looking happy at all.

"Look, Hiccup..., she started, but the boy stood up and interrupted her.

"Astrid, thanks for coming by. I'm prefectly fine, it's just a little booboo, nothing more.", said Hiccup showing a small red line just above his Adam's apple. "See? It's nothing.".

Astrid felt that he was trying to get rid of her which was quite an unusual thing yet still pretty understandable after last night. But she's already made up her mind about making up to him, so she decided on spitting out what she wanted to say, but it was harder than she thought.

"Listen,Hiccup. It's not just that... I mean I was really worried about you, Thor, I've almost beaten up Fishlegs, but it's not just that...".

Hiccup didn't say a word he just looked at her, waiting patiently to collect her thoughts and finish what she had started.

"Okay. So I think I was very unfair to you last night and I want to make up to you."

The boy looked confused. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. It was a rude idea."

"Yet, I agreed on our bet and then well... it's not the first time I'm not fulfilling a bet I've lost.", said the confused girl and looked at her boots, not daring to look into his eyes when the silence after the last words she uttered became unbearable.

"Look, I want to make you a special dinner. I have fish and herbs and some vegtables that I don't find totally disgusting.", continued Astrid, raising up her sack.

When his stomach groaned at the promise of a nice dinner, she winked at her and hold out a hand. "Let's go to the shore and bury the hatchet. I don't want you to hate me for the rest of our lives.", said Astrid regaining her confidence a little bit.

"I'd never hate you.", whispered Hiccup and to his surprise he casualy took the hand she was offering.

* * *

Dinner was awesome. Astrid really outdid herself, eventhough she was not a fan of anything that is considered to be 'girlie' stuff. Like cooking. Or hanging out with a boy in a romantic environment. Like lying in the sand, next to a campfire. But that's what they were doing now and it seemed so right. Comforting. Enjoyable. Exciting? Probably a little bit. Uh-oh, definitely. She spent the past ten minutes thinking about how to tell him that she was willing to pay off her debt. Or at least part of it. It's going to be awkward. Even more so if he says that there's no need for it or he's not interested in her kisses at all, because it was just some kind of a joke to him...

They were lying on a large woven blanket, big enough for both of them. Hiccup was on his back, one hand tucked under his head, the other one casually lying on his stomach. He had no shirt on, again as it was still unusually warm. A tiny part of Astrid's soul wished it was just a tiny bit colder. She was distracted by his body and her eyes kept on wandering back to his abs. She felt ashamed. It's not that the boy could have noticed it, his eyes were looking at the sky with the million stars above him. But she was very well aware of the fact that she was basically ogling him. Good Gods... What has she turned into? A weak little needy rose or whatever girly girls resemble to.

She tried very hard to behave casually. She lay on her side, next to Hiccup, leaning on her left elbow.

"I'm sorry about that.", she said silently, breaking up their silence.

"What? Why? It was really delicous. For granted, I'm sometimes forced to eat raw fish and I don't complain about that either, but trust me, it was the nicest meal I had in the past 3 years.", said the boy turning his head towards her looking into the girl's eyes.

"No, not about that. Last night..."

"Okay, here we go again. Astrid, no problem, don't feel bad. I've already forgotten it, you should do that too."

"No. I actually want to pay off my debt.", she said, turning her eyes to the distant water, not being brave enough to stand his gaze and therefore missing the hilarious 'Wait, what?' look on the boy's face.

"I'm just a scardy cat. A coward mouse. A poor excuse for a Viking, but... Hiccup, I'm only afraid of it because I don't know _how_ to do it."

Hiccup couldn't help but started to laugh immediately after comprehending her words. It was the cutest thing he has ever heard.

"Laugh all you want, you popular village hero.", said she sounding a bit bitter, covering her eyes with the hand she was leaning on. Hiccup sat up and put a hand on her shoulder casually. He was still giggling a bit.

"I'm not laughing at you. I mean... oh, guess what. I've no idea how to kiss either."

No it was her time to be surprized.

"You... don't?"

"How would I? I've never done it in my life.", he said laugh bursting out from him again. This time Astrid joined in.

"Aren't we just the most pathetic teenagers this village has ever seen?", she said amused, not covering her eyes anymore, but looking straight into his eyes.

"I'm sure we can figure it out, though.", added Hiccup. "I mean... I think we only have to sort of lock our lips and then... you know. Things will happen."

"This sounds a bit awkward.", said the girl in a serious tone.

"I know but... we might as well give it a try. You know, the first one might not be perfect, but..."

"... by the time we reach to number seven, we'll be professionals?"

"Yeah. Could be."

"So... what's the plan?"

"Huh. What if we just lie back on our sides, facing each other, closing our eyes and crawl towards each other, until, you know...our lips touch?"

"That could work.", she said and obediently put her hand down and lay on the blanket and closed her eyes. "Just promise me you won't laugh.", she added.

"I won't.", he whispered back while he started to move closer to her. When he was close enough, he put his left hand on her hips. He felt that the girl was trembling under his hand. Trembling or not, Astrid too were looking for a more comfortable place for her hand, so she put it under his arm reaching up to his shoulderblade. Her touch was electrifying, and 'Gods', thought Hiccup, 'this was really happening...'

And then there she was. Her lips. Softly touching his. Still rembling a bit as she placed the smallest, shiest kiss on his lips. He quickly reacted, it was more an instict than something he knew, but he opened his mouth slightly, giving enough space for the girl's tongue to enter. And it did. Eventhough he felt that she was still shaking, somehow it started to work. Rhythm and pace seemed to be okay after a couple of seconds and somehow this whole utterly awkward situation turned into the sweetest experience ever.

As for Astrid, she felt uncomfortable and weak at first, but Hiccup was right, they quickly figured out together how these grown-up things worked. She felt a bit proud, probably they weren't the most awkward teenagers of all times, merely just two kids who had to gain more experience. And it was hell of an experience... And by the time, she felt that his tender hand reached the nape of her neck, caressing the soft skin, she thought that she didn't want to let go of his lips... But of course they had to part eventually.

Hiccup let go of her nape and looked at her softly for a couple of seconds then lay back to his original position, looking at the stars again, trying to make a serious face fighting the grin that eventually took over his mouth. Then he just gave up the fight and closed his eyes, taking some deep breathes.

Astrid, leaning on her elbow again, looked at him curiously, being quite unsure about the thing they've just did. It felt amazing, for granted, but she was deeply disturbed by her own insecurities. She was sure that this meant a lot of things for both of them.

She just didn't know yet whether it was the begining of something or the end.

* * *

**Alrighty then, that was it, one kiss is over, six more to go.**

**Don't hesitate to share your opinions.**

**Next time will be back at the forge again in search of some hotness.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey there. Sorry for not being able to update any sooner, let's just say I have my own little dragon academy and it's really time consuming to run one.**

**I hope you don't find it OC, but my Astrid* here has some insecurities every now and then and from time to time it might seem that she is more into Hiccup than he's into her. From my experiences as a teenager, these things are pretty natural. (Have I mentioned I had an axe when I was a teenager? :-) I've never ever hurt anyone with it, though, I'm a harmless creature.) **

**I'm not sure about the timing of the next update, I have to go away for a while on a long awaited vacation, but you're welcomed to PM me anytime, as always.**

**(* Of course, Astrid is not mine. Nor any other characters in this story.)**

* * *

Astrid woke up more exhausted than she felt when she went to bed. She never had problems with waking up early and going for a ride on the Nadder before heading to the training arena, but today a joy ride on the beloved dragon simply seemed impossible. In fact, she was already late from training...

She couldn't really understand herself. It was all fine up until the point she and Hiccup left the shore and headed back to the village. But when she saw the silhouettes of the houses somehow she started to feel ashamed. She quickly said goodbye to the boy and ran back home. She tried to open their door very quietly because it was late at night and her mom was a bit nosy these days, asking all sorts of questions about where she had been, what she was doing... As if she was a trouble maker. But she wasn't, she always did the right thing and her great strength came with great responsibility. She didn't do anything wrong this time either, so how come then, that she was having a guilt trip? She couldn't understand why her face was burning with shame.

Oh, Gods, what if it's visible? What if her mom and everyone else would see that she was kissed? Did she look different? She touched her lips. They seemed fine. She licked them. They didn't taste like him anymore. Pff, it was so strange to know that he actually did have a taste... What a disgusting thought, though. Okay, it's not that he had a disgusting taste, it was quite alright or... ah, how should she know? He was the first to be tasted by her. Andjust why was she still thinking about him? She shouldn't be. They made a stupid bet, she lost, she'll pay it off and then... then it's going to be over. Everything will go back to normal. It's not like she had any real romantic feelings for him. Well, of course, they were friends and he changed a lot in these past few years, but she felt that she still saw the clumsy little kid in him. Although, it's true that sometime he was clumsy to the point when she actually found it quite cute and she felt like giving a peck somewhere on his face, but that's all. She found her cute but not_ that _cute. Right?

She cannot have any serious feelings for him. She cannot have any serious feelings for anyone. Feelings just mess up everything and she didn't need that sort of troubles in her life. On the other hand, it was a nice feeling in the physical sense, it gave her the butterflies and the world seemed to turn upside down when their lips touched, but she considered it to be normal, they were teenagers, hormones were working and...

"Where were you?", came the disapproving question from the dark. Oh, why hasn't her mom gone to bed already? Is it always going to be like that now? She couldn't get used to having a greyhound sniffing after her all the time...

"Out.", she answered angrily then ran up to her bedroom, trying to cover her face with her hands as she was only half-sure that there were no visible marks of disgrace on her cheeks. Up in her room she quickly undressed and went to bed. She felt pretty tired, but sleep didn't come easy, her mind was filled with a huge turmoil of thoughts and feelings. She had second thoughts about this whole kissing non-sense and wished she could just avoid a certain tall, dark and surprisingly handsome rider for a couple of days.

* * *

Hiccup on the other hand had one of the best sleeps of his life. He woke up early and went on a ride with Toothless, they greeted the sunrise from up above the clouds. Everything felt so energetic and light now, and the dark thoughts he previously had about the unexpected attack in the forge crawled back to a well-hidden place in his mind. When he went back home after the flight, he started to make breakfast for himself and his dad. Upon noticing his son's early morning efforts in their kitchen, Stoick raised a brow. Probably it was the first time he saw his son willingly do something that involved preparing food. He was even humming a silly little tune while being busy with the eggs and the bread.

"Somebody's in a good mood... Everything alright, son?", asked the giant dad, interrupting the humming.

"Yeah... why?"

"Because you hardly ever have time to eat breakfast, let alone to cook it. It's not that I mind it, I mean, you still eat like a bird compared to a real Viking, but..."

"Oh, I just had a good night sleep and a nice ride and I don't know. I guess I woke up hungry."

"So, where were you last night before this nice sleep of yours?"

"Omm... Last night?". Strange question. Why did his dad even care? He was out most nights in the past 5 years.

"Yes. Where were you?"

"Oh, I was just at the shore with Astrid. She cooked me dinner."

"Astrid? The Astrid I know?", said the chief in real surprise.

"Ye-es..."

"What is this cooking craze? Is this what kids do nowadays?"

"It's... it's just a coincidence, I guess.", he said munching on a crust not feeling hungry anymore.

"Son... can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What do you think of Astrid?"

"What do I think of...? What kind of a question is that? I mean she is alright. She is my friend and..."

"Is there something I should know of?"

"Nah.. No. I don't think so. Aaand... I'm sorry but I have to leave now. You know, training and all..." Okay, if skipping breakfast meant that he could avoid the awkward questions, he was ready to go.

"Yeah. Training. Go train. Nice chat, son."

"Yeah, right. Oh, I won't come home early tonight, I have to be at the forge."

"Okay. Mhm. Okay. Have a good day."

"You too."

"Oh, one more thing."

Hiccup turned back from the door, sounding just a tiny bit annoyed. "Yes, dad?"

"Could you do me a favor? If you will ever think of her in a different way, just I don't know... tell me?"

"Sure... But I don't think it's going to happen. I mean not in the near future."

"Son, you know you're getting..."

"Yes, dad, I know the story about me getting older and the chief stuff. I just... don't think I'm ready. And if you'll excuse me, I..."

Stoick shook his head when his son left in a hurry. Ever since he was born he constantly worried about him. He was half as big as a normal baby should be (quarter size of a standard Viking baby) and then he was growing so slowly... Yes, he finally became a well-respected member of the community but now he should consider establishing a family of his own and protecting their bloodline, but it seemed that nothing mattered to him anymore but the dragons. For Thor's sake, how could he make him understand that these things are important in a man's life? Especially if he is the would be chief of a tribe.

* * *

Hiccup arrived to the training arena somewhat agitated, the blessed morning mood soon shifted away after their son-dad talk. Why does it always have to be so awkward between them? He jumped off of his dragon said some vague hellos to the others and headed to his office. He was in desperate need of a little silence.

For two wonderful hours he found peace in his newly established haven. A couple of weeks ago he turned one of the old cages into an office, because he needed a place where he could store the growing number of books, pamphlets, charts and diagrams he and Fishlegs made about the dragons. But what's even more important, he needed a place where things were calm enough and he could think, draw and administer by himself. It's not like he didn't like the other riders, it's just sometimes they were a bit too much... Someone always ended up whining or complaining about mostly some ridiculous stuff and Hiccup couldn't help but feel that he was running a kindergarten full of kids with serious behavioral issues.

And then came the knock on the door, as usual. Most of the time it was Fishlegs who disturbed his blissful solitude first, complaining about Snotlout or the twins. It took him a couple of seconds to collect himself and answer the door and the constant knocking wasn't helping with his starting head ache.

"Coming, coming.", he said, trying to calm down the impatient knocker. In front of his door a lanky and seemingly angry Viking girl was tapping with her feet.

"What can I do for you today, Ruffnut?", he asked trying to sound polite instead of annoyed.

"Inside, Hiccs, I need to talk to you, like now.", she said pushing him away from the door, entering his safe place with determined steps.

Hiccup closed the door behind her.

"Look, if it's about your brother, I don't even know what more I could say..."

"Nah, it's not about him. Although I still think you should kick him out. Or just kick him."

"I think we have already covered that issue...", said Hiccup trying to end the conversation as soon as possible.

"Yeah, but it's not about him."

"Okay, then who's it about?"

"It's Astrid." Astrid? Why does everyone want to talk to him about Astrid? He doesn't want to talk about her, he prefers talking to her. And it just came to his mind that he didn't even say a proper hello this morning, he was so upset because of his dad... He remembered seeing her from the corner of his eyes standing unusually still. It's just occurred to him that after last night it was probably a bit rude not to greet her nicely, at least he should have winked at her or something. Gods, how do you say hello to a girl who let you put your lips on hers? Were there any rules?

"Are you with me, klutz?"

"Sorry, sorry, I was just... so it's Astrid. What about Astrid?"

"Dunno,she is just acting so weird today. Haven't you noticed it?"

Hiccup went to the small window and glanced out. Astrid was throwing axes at the barrels, with pure rage, but it was her thing...

"Well, that's what she normally does, doesn't she?", asked Hiccup sounding quite clueless.

"Yeah. That's really Astridy. But she has been doing it for the past 2 hours and I think her fingers are bleeding. Or the handle of her axe, it's hard to tell. I mean, I tried to put her off but she just mumbled something about minding my own damn business."

"But what could I do? If I tried to stop her, she would cut me in half."

"Nah, I don't want you to stop her, it's kinda entertaining. I just wondered whether you know what happened to her, coz two days ago she was quite okay."

"And why should I know about her problems? I mean we're buddies but you're her best friend."

"I also went looking for her last night and she wasn't at home. And she wasn't riding her dragon, because I saw Stormfly."

"Actually, she was with me. She erm... cooked dinner for me."

"What? She never cooks anything. Gods, I have to call a witch doctor now, she must be possessed."

"No, it was... I think she felt sorry because of... what happened to me at the forge."

"She felt sorry for you not being able to protect yourself instead of despising you?"

"Now that you mention it, it does sound a bit weird.", admitted Hiccup, scratching his head. "You know what? I just cancel training that will hopefully stop her."

"Okay... That sounds about right. And Hiccup..."

"Yes?"

"You should pay more attention to her."

"I will.", he said quietly while grabbing Ruffnuts elbow, seeking her out.

His headache fully kicked in.

* * *

After training was cancelled, Astrid went home to try to have a rest. Her fingers hurt pretty much, they seemed swollen and bruised but she didn't really care. Pain was always a welcomed feeling for the warrior kind. But her mom once again was after her all afternoon, giving her the stupidest chores and tasks one can imagine, so instead of some well-deserved midday slumber she was running back and forth in the village bringing and taking things and messages all over the place. She did all things, grinding her teeth but never saying a word in hope of having a calm and peaceful night in her bedroom later on.

It was already dark when she got home from the last errand and put down the two huge buckets of water her mom asked for. She flopped down on a chair at their dining table massaging one hand with the other. Her fingers were throbbing again, it wasn't the wisest idea to carry those buckets but it was never a good idea to go against her mother. As she was sitting their and finally had nothing to do her thoughts drifted to Hiccup. Apart from seeing him in the morning for a couple of seconds she had absolutely no contact with him. Should she be looking for him? She hasn't even paid half of her debt... She felt an awkward feeling crawling up her spine. Does he even expect her to turn up at his door or something? Nah, he'd never actually expect it. Most probably he doesn't even care about it at all. It's not like he paid special attention to her this morning, truth be told, he didn't pay any attention at all. Okay, she felt too tired to figure out anything. She will excuse herself if missing kiss No2 comes up anytime at all, but she was pretty sure that it won't . Not with Hiccup. She sighed with relief, she didn't feel like kissing at all.

"Oh, you're back!" Her mom's words woke her up from her belated daydream. "I need you to do one last thing today."

"Mom, I'm tired and..."

"Astrid, I don't really care. If you didn't go out at night, you wouldn't be tired."

"Okay, what can I do for you?" Her mother put three rusty swords on the table.

"I need you to go to the forge and have them cleaned up and sharpened."

"Mom... but what if there's no one at the forge? It' pretty late."

"Non sense. I've talked to Hiccup, he's expecting them." 'Oh, Gods, Hiccup is expecting her? What a splendid turn of events.', she though bitterly, being way to tired for dealing with him and her insecurities.

"Okay, let me just... change into fresh clothes." She said trying to play a pathetic rag doll (actually, she felt like one), but her mom once again didn't show any sympathy. Gods, it was the everyday family life that made the Hofferson girls tough for centuries.

* * *

Once his headache was gone, Hiccup started to enjoy that he was alone in the forge, eventhough Gobber left him with a long list of things to do and it was almost unbearably hot in the smithy. He had no company and no one disturbed him for hours except for Mrs. Hofferson who dropped by and asked him to mend a couple of their swords. Hiccup agreed to it, although he was planning on sewing a new saddle for Toothless later on the old one being a little bit worn by now. But it could wait. Mrs. Hofferson seemed so desperate about her swords mumbling about weapons having souls or something, he didn't really have the strenght to pay attention to her because of his severe headache. Now he wondered whether she'd bring in the swords or her daughter... Astrid... He hasn't thought about her for the past hours with the headache and all, but now he was kind of excited about possibly meeting her, eventhough it was just for the sake of business.

Should he remind her about the debt? Non sense, she was very well aware of it and if she never even mentions it, it can only mean that... well, that he really sucked at kissing. Wouldn't be a big surprise, though, he was not the player-type. And he really shouldn't be wasting this much time thinking about such a small aspect of his life.

He shook his head trying to clear his mind and went out to cool down a bit. It was already getting dark and the streets were strangely empty. Then it came into his head that there's gonna be a little summer feast at the Meade Hall the next night and his village mates were probably tried to get some rest before an evening full of mead and drunken Viking fights. It's not that he didn't fancy these gatherings it was just very bad timing.

He stretched out his arms and took a huge breath before going back to the forge. That incinerator. He immediately took off his tunic and threw it on the bed Gobber put in the forge a couple weeks ago. Hiccup never asked why he needed it in the smithy, but Gobber was often out these days and he talked quite a few times about a certain widow, Mrs. Jernson. Still, the bed remained a mystery, Gobber lived next to the forge and as far as Hiccup knew it, he had a perfectly well functioning bedroom. But it was better not to ask.

He decided on continuing his work and looked for his hammer. He wiped his forehead with a cloth, he was already sweating and he hasn't even started to hammer. Soon, a small knock on the door made him turn back. He opened it and peeked his head out not wanting to expose his naked upper body to just anyone. Behind the door stood Astrid with a bunch of swords in her hands and even in the dim night lights Hiccup immediately noticed how tired she seemed with the huge dark circles around her eyes.

"May I come in?", she asked with a small, suppressed yawn.

"Sure, Astrid, sure.", he answered opening the door and to his own surprise he didn't head straight for his tunic. He had no problem Astrid seeing him in a semi- undressed state. It's only normal to feel comfortable around your friends, right? .Besides, it was still really hot in the forge.

"So, you're mom...?"

"Yeah, she forced me to come here.", she said putting the swords on the table. Hiccup stepped closer to examine them. They were just a little bit rusty and dull. It won't take more than an hour to mend them.

"You look tired.", he said thoughtfully, still looking at the swords.

"I am, I... had a rough night."

"Sorry about that. You are more than welcome to use Gobber's bed.", he said with a smile and gestured towards the corner of the room . She really looked tired.

"Gods, thanks, Hiccup.", she said and hurried to the bed. She pushed away Hiccup's tunic. "You're right, it's burning here.", she added and with a quick move she got rid of her own tunic and tossed it next to his. Hiccup looked at her while she kicked her boots off and lay down on the top of the several pelts that covered the bed. It was nice to know that she was comfortable around him as well.

"I'll try to be as silent as possible.", he said softly a minute later but surprisingly enough she was fast asleep by then.

* * *

Roughly an hour later the swords were as good as new or even better. Hiccup liked the idea that he had company and found Astrid entertaining even when she was sleeping. Yeah, she was snoring a little bit which made him grin the whole time. At first he regularly looked at her checking if she was alright then she turned to her side and yeah... her breast bindings revealed some more flesh and Hiccup felt that it's not really a honorable thing to stare at a sleeping lady's cleavage, although the sight was pleasure to his eyes. He grabbed the swords and put a piece of leather around them carefully tying them with a string. He left the package on the table and went to the bed.

He looked at her sleeping peacefully. With her eyes closed, her eyelashes seemed incredibly long. His eyes shifted to her cleavage again then feeling it a bit awkward he looked further down to her flat belly. He discovered a small trail of sweat running down from her bellybutton. It was really hard not to swipe it away but then again it would be weird to wake someone up by touching their stomach, so instead he just gently shook her shoulder. It was remarkably easy to wake her up.

"Are you done?", she said stretching out her arms, eyes still being closed.

"Yup.", he answered stepping back a little to let her sit up.

"Good.", she said with a tired little smile.

"You can go home and have a decent sleep."

"Oh, I will.", she said while putting her boots back on, feeling a bit cocky after the good sleep. "But we still have some business to do.", she continued. It was a mystery even for her how she managed to hint at the delicate topic this easily. But the words were out and she started to feel a little bit of excitement, the good kind. Hiccup gave her a puzzled look.

She stood up and confidently stepped closer to him. Amazing what a good sleep can do to your shattered self-respect.

He looked deep into her eyes slowly understanding what she was up to. Oh, those eyes, bluer than the deepest seas, he felt he could drawn in them.

"You know, we don't have to...", he started, but there was no turning back for Astrid.

"I know, but we're over this. I'm willing to do it. I want to do it.", she said, lightly putting her arms on his bare shoulders. He didn't say anything just took a deep breath still looking in those eyes.

Astrid stood on tiptoes and with her hands on the back of his neck she started to pull him closer. This time she never hesitated just went for it. He turned his head to the left a bit and put his hands on her waist just above the hem of her leggings. Her lips reached his. They opened their mouths and their tongues started a slow waltz. It was only their second time but they were immediately in sync. Astrid slowly pushed her body to his, their sweaty skin touched giving a burning sensation to both of them. Hiccup slowly raised his hands and lightly started to caress her bare back, leaving a growing number of goosebumps on her skin. It was so...

A loud kick on the door made them depart suddenly. "Hiccup, get your ass out there and help me!", shouted a well-known voice from outside the door. Without words, Astrid quickly grabbed the tunic from the bed and headed for the back window. The kicking became louder. "Swear to Thor, if you fell asleep working, you're going to regret it!", continued the annoyed voice.

Hiccup looked back at Astrid worryingly. She was already half in and half out of the small window.

"Coming.", he shouted back finally.

"You better be!", came the angry answer.

On the way to the door he passed by the table.

Astrid's swords were lying there, neatly packed.

The headache came back.

* * *

**Okay guys, don't hesistate to tell me what you think. I'm doing this for you so your opinion does matter :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi lovely readers,**

**This chapter is not a very long one and it has absolutely no Hiccup or Astrid in it, but features two of my favourite evil-doers and I'm introducing a new creature as well. Please, don't hesitate to tell me what you think.**

**I'll try to do the next chapter by the end of next week, I don't want Hiccup to stay in the forge shirtless for a long time, he might catch a cold :-)**

* * *

2 days earlier...

Stoick was standing on the deck of his longboat. He looked at the sinful idiot sitting right next to him on his chest that contained all of his belongings. As most Vikings, he didn't have much.

The chief looked at him with pure hatred but swallowed his anger once again.

If he had been a 'regular' Viking warrior he would have cut him into pieces and fed him with the fish for attacking his only son, but being a tribal leader meant that he couldn't always do what he really wanted. He must never let his anger take over him and sometimes it meant that he had to embrace decisions that weren't made in favour of him or his loved ones. The one thing that he loved about his boy the most was that much like his old man he was not hot-headed either, he was thoughtful and caring and he was willing to sacrifice his own life for his people. These were the qualities of a good leader, so in that sense Hiccup was more than ready to take his place, yet on the other hand Stoick was still worried about his son not being able to protect himself.

He looked at Cess and shook his head. This man could have ended his son's life in a blink of an eye, even though he was old and scrawny and supposedly imbecile. With a frown on his face Stoick looked up and saw the outlines of Outcast Island. He waved towards his men and two of his Vikings grabbed the old fool and his chest and put him in a boat. He didn't say a word, which was odd, Stoick expected some whining and crying, because that's what cowards usually did, but Cess was silent as a clam. He reached for the oars once he was on water and headed for the Island. Stoick wasn't a vengeful person but he wished he'd die at sea before reaching the shore, because something just didn't feel right about this whole thing. May be Thor would be kind enough to send a fatal lightning.

* * *

After one and a half hours of intense rowing Cess reached the shore. He climbed out of the boat and carefully carried his chest up where the tide couldn't reach it. He had to take care of the precious burden inside. When the chest was safe he smiled. Mildew was right, he was the cleverest man he knew. He missed his old neighbour a lot but he won't have to miss him any longer. Cess didn't understand why their plans would work and he really didn't want to harm that blacksmith boy, he had no problems with him, but Mildew told him that if he had attacked him he would get a free ride to Outcast Island and as always, Mildew was right. He was on Outcast Island.

He opened the chest, wanting to take a good look at the thing he had to bring to the island. Mildew said that the big and scary guy who was the leader of the Outcasts would be pleased if Cess gave him the precious thing he found in the cave. He said that he could be an Outcast warrior and it was all he was dreaming of.

He took out the bundle cautiously. The thing inside was shining with a purple light it was visible through the rough cloth that covered it. Cess caressed it. It was the most treasured thing he had ever owned but now he was willing to trade it for an armour and a sword. He looked up, the bushes were moving around him, but he had no fear: he knew the Outcasts were coming for him and the gift he brought them.

* * *

"I never actually thought this could work.", admitted Alvin looking at the pulsating purple thing on the table. Mildew stepped closer, he was also mesmerised by the object in front of them. "I told you, Stoick would get rid of anybody who threatens that dumb son of his.", he tried to touch the thing with a bony finger but Alvin slapped on his hand really hard. Mildew hissed at the sudden pain.

"Don't you dare to touch it. It's my ticket to get the dragon boy."

"It's not like I could break it. The shell is an inch thick.", said the old man, clutching to his hurt hand.

"From now on, nobody touches it but me. I want to make sure that once this thing hatches it recognises me and only me as its master.", thundered Alvin gazing in awe at the pulsating egg. "So is it sure that no one in Berk knows about its existence? Not even the boy?"

"Yes. Cess never showed it to anyone but me."

"And how did you even know about it? I've never seen anything like that before in that dragon book."

"In every page of that book there are secret runes that can be only deciphered by the ones who can read them."

"Are you telling me old man that you can read them or what?", asked Alvin dubiously.

"No, I can't. But I know they are there. And I know what's written there about the one of most intelligent and useful dragon of all times, I've heard the stories when I was a little kid."

"If you are so sure of yourself, then tell me, when will it hatch?"

"If it's pulsating this fast it will hatch in no time. And the best thing about it is that it will grow into an adult in a couple of weeks."

"Good. I don't want to waste more time than necessary."

"He will be yours. Sooner than you think.", said Mildew trying to sound as sure as possible.

Okay, then there's only one thing that needs to be solved."

"Right..."

"How can I get the thing I need from that _person_?", said Alvin emphasising the word 'person' in total disgust. He couldn't help it but felt sheer hatred for those who had tricked him...

"Don't you worry, Alvin, I know just the right man to solve our 'll get what you want."

"I hope it's not some idiot again. I don't really have any free cells in my dungeon."

"You shouldn't have locked away Cess, he is a harmless creature and he did a good service to you."

"Yeah, almost killing that little worm in the forge. I've told you, I need him alive."

Mildew looked down on the ground knowing that Alvin had anger issues. He felt sorry for his old neighbour but there was only so much he could do... He had to do everything to please the giant mad man.

"So, who do you have for the job?", inquired Alvin, getting more and more excited.

"I have a nephew. He lives on an island close to Berk and I can assure you, he's willing to do anything for me. For us. He owes me his life. And I have a solid plan."

"Right. You can explain it to me while we're having dinner and then you can leave with a ship in the early hours of the evening."

"As you wish, chief."

"And remember... I'll kill you if you tell anyone about this dragon..."

"I swore loyalty. Besides, many people would kill for the legendary dragon that only hatches once in a 100 years. _The Sniffer Puff_."

"Hush now, enough with the gibberish, old fool. I cannot wait this reptile to be hatched. Once it will grow big enough to serve its purpose, I'll crush the heart of the dragon boy and make him my slave." Alvin couldn't help but started to laugh. The mental image of the dragon rider in chains almost made him jump with joy.

His wildest dreams are about to come true. Soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, the weather was nice and inspiring today plus I spent the good part of the week staring at some awesome Viking stuff in the lovely Ireland, so this update happened kinda fast. We had action last time, so it's going to be fluff now. My dearest Cyclone20, we're nowhere near the third kiss but this is going to be the 2nd best thing, I can promise you that.**

* * *

"Coming, coming.", said Hiccup firmly again, and he was glad that he unintentionally fastened the door with the latch. He went to the bed for his tunic that was still lying there only to notice that it wasn't his but Astrid's – she must have grabbed the wrong one when she left hastily. 'That might be a problem...', he thought and didn't even try to put it on. He wasn't exactly what you call a beefy guy but Astrid was half his size. If only she wore baggier clothes... In a last and desperate attempt to reduce the damage he tied the piece of clothing on his waist and went for the door.

"For Thor's sake, what took ye so long?", said Gobber when Hiccup opened the door. He pushed the boy back, while entering the forge with the huge sack of scrap metal he was holding. "It's heavy as Hel.", he complained putting his heavy burden down. He took a good look at his apprentice. "What's with the strip show?", he said pointing at his naked chest.

"Erm... I was working and it's pretty hot in here."

"Luckily, no one had to see all of this.", said Gobber gesturing towards the boy's upper body.

"Yeah. Right. No one saw it.", he answered, and felt that his cheeks turned crimson. For a second he remembered how Astrid's very naked body was pressed to his not two minutes ago... He shivered. It's a good thing she got out of the forge in time.

Gobber looked at him and shook his head in disbelief. Something was not right. He sniffed in the air as if he was a greyhound. He didn't smell anything, of course, but when his eyes wandered back to the boy's shaggy hair and red cheeks he was sure that something had happened in his forge... he just didn't know what.

"What are these?", he asked when he discovered the neatly packed swords on the table.

"The swords of Mrs. Hofferson.", said Hiccup trying to talk with as few words as possible not wanting to give himself away that easily, even though he basically felt transparent in front of Gobber's eyes.

"And who brought them here?" Hiccup felt that his eyes were basically piercing through his skull.

"A-astrid.", he said and his voice cracked. He tried to conceal it with a series of coughs.

"Hot, eh?", said Gobber. Hiccup never reacted. "And who's gonna take them away?"

"I-I promised the Hoffersons that I'd bring them to their house tonight."

"Son, you know we don't do home deliveries." After a couple of seconds it seemed that Hiccup forgot to answer again, he was looking at his prosthetic as if he saw it for the first time.

"You're not very talkative tonight... But okay, I know you were up to no good. I feel it in my guts. I don't know what you did or who you did it with...", Gobber added and he noticed that the boys lips twitched when he said 'who'.

Hiccup hated when he was interrogated, especially when the sleuth was such a cunning one. "Son. You're officially busted.", said Gobber and stepped closer to him. Hiccup felt terribly guilty even though he knew they didn't do anything wrong. "I don't want to jump to hasty conclusions but I think it has to do with a girl whose name you cannot say without turning red as a beet root." Hiccup shook his head trying to deny the obvious. "Son, I might look old but once I was younger and had the fair share of hiding under beds and in closets. Gods, once I jumped out of someone's window and landed on a huge pile of dung. Those were the days...", said the blacksmith and took a moment to cherish his past.

Hiccup looked at him ruefully. "It's not like that...", he started but his master cut in "I'm not saying you shouldn't hmmm... experiment with certain things I merely want to suggest that you mustn't take anything from her that you cannot give back." "Oookay. I... can assure you that I've no intention of doing that sort of things." Gobber looked at him and it was his turn to shake his head. Bloody kids, the grew up so fast, eh. "Go, take those stupid swords.", he said finally. Hiccup went to the table, grabbed the swords and headed for the door.

"Hiccup."

"Yes?"

"Don't you want to dress up before going out?"

Hiccup turned red for the hundredth time this evening. "No, I'm fine like this, really."

"Yeah. Super fine. Dumbdumb.", said Gobber between his teeth. Gods, he liked the boy to death but sometimes he was just freakin' irritating.

* * *

Hiccup headed for the Hoffersons' house. He was particularly happy that the village was basically empty at this time of the night. He was looking for Astrid on the way to her house because he was sure she didn't go home without the swords, but she was nowhere to be seen.

10 minutes later he was right at her house, standing in the shadow of some bushes trying to figure out what he should do. It wasn't the best idea to knock on the door of Mrs. Hofferson half naked, in the middle of the night. If only he could... suddenly, two strong little hands grabbed him and yanked him among the bushes.

"What took you so long?", whispered Astrid sounding quite frustrated. She was wearing his tunic. Hiccup liked the sight.

"Sorry. Gobber was asking all sort of questions and I..."

Astrid impatiently cut in "Could we switch cloths?"

"Yeah, of course.", said Hiccup and leant down to put the swords on the ground. When he stood up his jaw dropped. She has already taken off her tunic and was standing in front of him in only her undergarments. It's not that he hasn't seen her in that state before, of course he did, it was just... quite unexpected. The light of the Moon painted her pale skin gold and her big eyes sapphire. She looked painfully beautiful...

"Ouch.", he said when a hard punch woke him up from the daydream.

"Stop staring, dork.", she said and threw his tunic on his chest. Hiccup put it on and handed hers back to Astrid.

While arranging her hair a bit she cleared her throat.

"Soo.. is Heather coming to the party tomorrow?", she asked in a casual manner even though her heart sank every time her name came up.

"Yeah, isn't it awesome?", said Hiccup sounding quite enthusiastic. He really liked Heather, she was an amazing girl to have around not to mention that she was a lot smarter than the average Berkian teenagers. He looked at Astrid who looked uncomfortable... It's not that she didn't like Heather on the contrary, she was quite okay, but... was it her instinct to be jealous? No, she cannot be jealous. Hiccup wasn't her boyfriend or anything. They were just friends. She tried her best to conceal her feelings, but it was harder than she though.

Hiccup looked at her. He didn't really understand how girls worked but he felt that Astrid was struggling. He wanted to say something nice to calm her suffering soul, but he had no idea what could work, as of now girls definitely belonged to the mystery class.

He stepped closer to her. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, she refused to look into his eyes. He touched her chin with two fingers and gently lifted her head. It worked. Finally her sapphire eyes were locked with his emerald ones.

"Astrid...", he started silently but stopped right after. Words didn't come easy.

"Yes?", she asked, trembling, feeling that the closeness of him made his heart rate elevated.

"You know I wouldn't offer any other thing but my friendship to Heather.", he said fingers still holding her chin. She gave him a small nod.

"Hiccup...", she started and felt that she was under a strange spell. The force that drew her to him seemed unbeatable. "I-I think we didn't have the chance to finish properly... what we have started back in the forge...", she said sounding a bit nervous.

Hiccup didn't say a word but moved his fingers away from her chin and cupped her face. His thumbs were caressing the sensitive skin behind her earlobes lightly. It was really hard for Astrid to stay standing. They were looking in each other's eyes for an eternity and let their eyes do the talking instead of their mouths.

Finally, Astrid stood on tiptoes and carefully placed her hands on his wrists. Their lips met. She slipped her tongue inside his mouth and she received a warm welcome there. Once again she was amazed how soft and smooth everything felt.

They were up again in their own personal Valhalla... She tried to memorise everything, the way his fingers were moving on her skin, the tastes and the smells, the way her calves started to hurt a bit because she wasn't used to standing on tiptoes for long long minutes.

She had to finish eventually, her toes were cramping unbearably. She felt completely dizzy so he moved closer to Hiccup and pressed herself to him for some support. He hugged her tightly his lips brushing her forehead. She didn't know why but she started to feel even more nervous. Her heart was racing. She didn't want to stay there any longer, her uncontrollable feelings frightened her. She squeezed herself out of his hugging arms, leaned down for the swords and without saying a word, she ran to her door. Hiccup felt half confused half amused by her sudden exit. Is it always going to be like this? Her running away after kissing him every time? He had to smile. He promised himself that he wouldn't let her get away that easy next time.

* * *

Mildew was right. The egg hatched not far after it was delivered to Outcast Island. Alvin looked at the little purple creature squeaking in his hand. It was hard to believe that in a matter of days it would be as big as a grown man. He petted the tiny thing with a thumb. The miniature dragon grabbed it. He had to admit that his grip already felt strong...

* * *

**Okay, that's about it now. Next time it's gonna be party time with Heather. Stay tuned :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello guys, **

**It's an amazing feeling to have so many followers, so thank you. Really. **

**You make my days, weeks and months.**

**Okay, so this chapter won't be very long, sorry about that, I initially wanted to cover the whole Heather story in one chapter but somehow it grew into something much bigger. So we'll see her in the next one as well. **

**Also, about the next chapter it's going to be an 'angsty' one. **

**There's going to be an 'almost kiss' and a kiss as well, but it won't be be a happy one :-z So much about the teaser :-)**

* * *

Astrid woke up early and excited. She had a good night and before going to bed, she decided that she'd be super nice to Heather. She felt a lot more confident about herself, especially after Hiccup tried to tell her on his own awkward way that he had no romantic feelings for the brunette girl.

Well, on the other hand he didn't say that he had any romantic feelings towards Astrid either, but... well, he didn't seem to hate all that kissing.

Whenever she remembered how they stood in the bushes the night before, she felt tingles all over her body. She hasn't decided whether she liked it or not, but it happened anyways. She happened to think about it a lot.

After quickly braiding her hair, she rushed out to her dragon and decided to fly higher and faster than ever before. At some point during her fly, from the corner of her eye, she saw a dark spot on the sky, and it made her smile.

Someone else was out on an early flight too.

An hour later, she decided to go home, have a quick breakfast and go out to the shore to wait for Heather's boat. She knew that she'd arrive early in the morning and she wanted to be there to greet her with the others, but once again her mother just had to ruin her plans...

Okay, it was partly her fault as well, she totally forgot that it was the wedding anniversary of her parents. Every year they went on a bear hunting trip and spent a couple of days together in the wilderness and her mother needed some help with the packing, worst timing ever.

The sun was high up in the sky when she had the chance to leave, but she decided on finding Hiccup and Heather wherever they were.

* * *

Heather arrived early in the morning, as she promised, and she was glad to see Hiccup waiting for her. He stood on the shore with his foot on the ground and his prosthetic up on a rock. The warm morning breeze was playing with his chestnut hair. Even from a distance Heather saw how much he changed in the past year and she had to admit that Hiccup now was one of the charming men she had ever had a chance to lay eyes on. She felt that a well-known nice warm feeling was crawling up her spine – she couldn't help liking him.

"Boy, you look bigger every time we meet.", she greeted her upon jumping out of the boat.

Hiccup laughed and stepped closer to greet her with a hug. "It's not that I get better food."

"I mean you look 'manlier' every time we meet. Swear to Thor, one day you'll look like someone who actually could be a chief."

"Thanks, Heather. Well, I don't think girls like to be complimented on their size, so I'll just say you look pretty, as always."

Heather blushed. "Thank you. Okay, so where are the rest of the gang?"

"I think it's too early for them. Although I thought I had seen Astrid in the morning, but I might have been mistaken. Or... I don't know, her mom is a bit difficult these days."

"Yeah, moms can be really difficult.", she agreed, laughing but she bit her tongue when she realized the sad look on Hiccup's face. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"Don't apologise. It's... been a long time ago. Besides, I have a really complicated dad, haven't I?", he said trying to ease the awkwardness with lightly patting the girl's shoulder. "I'm really glad you are here.", he added softly.

"Me too. So what are the big plans for today?"

"No big plans. Let's have breakfast first. Then we can go out for a walk or a fly. Or both. Nothing is written in stone. Then I think the party starts when the stars come up."

"It sounds amazingly simple."

"It does.", said Hiccup with a grin on his face. He whistled for Toothless and the three of them flew back to the village.

* * *

After a having a lengthy breakfast in the Meade Hall with the others, Hiccup and Heather left when Snotlout's bragging about some newly developed muscles became unbearable. During their morning meal Hiccup looked up whenever someone opened the grand door, as if he was waiting for someone who actually never showed up. His somewhat concerned expression amazed Heather a bit – she couldn't wait to figure out what's exactly behind Hiccup's odd behaviour.

After leaving the hall, Hiccup decided on walking to a nice shady grove with Heather, as the weather was still hot and humid. They had a very unusual summer this year, but of course the boy didn't mind it. He liked unexpected things. Like the unlikely friendship of human and dragon... Or that a scrawny little oaf could turn into a village hero...

Their walk to the grove took 20 minutes, but it was worth the effort, all around it were wild rose bushes that were in bloom. Heather took a minute to marvel at them, their smell was almost intoxicating. Hiccup was right, it was really a breath taking place.

Heather looked at him. She swallowed hard. Now, that there were only the two of them, she finally decided on telling him... it was just so... overwhelmingly hard. She looked at him, right into his eyes.

"Heather, are you all right?", he asked with a worried look on his face, it was quite obvious that she wanted say or probably do something awkward.

"I am...", she started slowly, "I just wanted to say something that may or may not change our relationship." When she saw Hiccup's even more puzzled look, she giggled a little. "Don't worry. It's nothing disastrous. I'm just... I'm going to get married in a couple of weeks."

Hiccup's brain needed a few seconds to process the unexpected news.

"Good Gods.", he started finally with a huge grin on his face, "This is awesome, Heather. Can I get a hug?"

"Sure.", she said and stepped closer to his wide opened arms. He hugged him tight. "This is so amazing, Heather, really. You made me so happy."

"I'm glad.", she said, getting lost in those long and strong arms.

* * *

It wasn't hard to find the trace of Hiccup and Heather once Snot spat it out that they had gone to the grove. Truth be told, that idiot Viking made Astrid a bit agitated because she had to punch him in the stomach to learn where they had gone. As if it was a secret!

She didn't want to surprise them but somehow she started to walk on tiptoes when she got closer to the wild rose bushes that surrounded the spot. She was almost there when she noticed them. They were hugging... she stopped and felt almost petrified. They seemed so happy. From the distance she could hear them laughing. She didn't know what to do. Should she just go there and interrupt their intimate moment? Or should she...? Well, eavesdropping was not her style yet her legs somehow took her closer to the bushes. She hid among the green leaves. She was close enough to hear them clearly. She waited there with bated breath. Finally Hiccup let go of her...

"Okay, now you have to do the talking!", said a cheerful Heather.

"Me? What about?" Hiccup couldn't quite understand her.

"Blonde girls, probably?", said the brunette, playfully poking Hiccup's chest.

"What about them?", asked Hiccup and felt that his cheeks were turning red. He really wanted to drop the subject...

"Well, what about them?", asked back Heather not wanting him to get away with it that easily...

"O... Well, they are problematic.", he said looking down at the ground, uncomfortably.

* * *

'Problematic?!', thought Astrid and that was the point when she decided she had heard enough. Shaking with anger she backed out from the bushes. When she was in a safe distance, she started to run as fast as she could. She wanted to run out of this stupid world in which the boy she erm... fancied? liked? thought her to be problematic...

She wished she had brought her axe, she really felt like chopping up something.

Or someone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys, I thought we should finish the week with a new chapter. **

**This is my favourite chapter so far, so I'm really interested in all your opinions, please don't hesitate to write them down.**

**(Okay, based on the PMs I got, if you have any concerns about the disturbing ending of this chapter, send me a message and I can give you a hint about the next chapter to comfort you.)**

* * *

Heather didn't make it easier for him. She didn't react to what he has just said, waiting patiently for him to give some further explanation. Never knowing he has just hurt the girl he was talking about, Hiccup continued his speech.

"Okay, it's not really her. It's my father. I don't want him to think that I'm into someone because... well, he pretty much wants to force things that I'm not ready to do. Yet. I guess."

"But did something happen?", enquired Heather with a serious face.

"Things always happen...", answered Hiccup enigmatically and he combed through his shaggy hair as if it would make the situation less uncomfortable.

"Okay, Mr. Closelipped, I don't want to torture you any longer. You'll talk when you feel like it."

Hiccup nodded. "Shall we go back? Stupid as it may sound, I'm starting to get a little hungry."

"Yep.", said Heather with a faint smile.

She wished the boy had talked a bit more about *the* girl, because she really liked both of them... Her thoughts drifted to her fiance. She really adored him, he was a great lad and they had every chance to have a perfect life together, yet their connection was nothing like the one between Hiccup and Astrid.

Heather wished she could make him understand just how lucky he was for finding his perfect match.

* * *

Astrid ran as long as she could, but she had to stop eventually.

She was out of breath and her legs hurt. While panting for a while, she figured she had to calm down before doing anything terribly stupid.

She felt a mixture of angst, anger and shame - it was a most horrible combination. She wanted to do something before going totally berserk. She looked up from her bent position. She saw the shore in the distance many people were there as the boats started to arrive for the night summer fest.

When she spotted a tall, blonde girl fiercely hitting a tall, blonde boy, she immediately knew what she needed: Ruffnut.

It's not like she'd ever tell her what her problem was, but Astrid felt that a the goofy girl's company would distract her from all those miserable feelings she had.

* * *

When she arrived to the shore 10 minutes later, Ruffnut was talking to a guy Astrid has never seen before. He seemed to be quite okay, though. He had a wavy dark brown hair, a decent face and as he started to grin about whatever Ruff was telling to him, Astrid could see that he also had the perfect smile.

She wasn't eager to meet someone new, but having no other choice, she still went to them. When she got closer, she immediately noticed from Ruffnut's silly giggling that she was totally into the boy.

'Oh, she is so predictable.', she thought but than again, she had to admit the lad was a quite good looking one. At least Ruffnut had a taste in men, unlike her, who... oh, she didn't even want to think about him. Not him. Anyone, but him...

"Hey, Ruff."

"Oh, Astrid. I was looking for you."

"Had to help my mom in the morning. Then I went for a run."

"Yeah, I see you're all sweaty. Hope, you don't stink, though." Astrid punched Ruffnut on her shoulder. She should have known better to say such things.

"Ouch. Swear to Thor, your punches get harder every time."

"Sorry to interrupt your tough girl talk.", started the stranger, who had a nice deep baritone voice, "But I don't think we were properly introduced to each other."

"Oops, my manners..." Astrid quirked a brow when she heard Ruff's annoying ninny giggle again. "So, this is Astrid Hofferson, my besty. And the gentleman is Mr. Gunner Gunnarson from... which island was it?"

The handsome fellow shook Astrid's hand. His grip was firm enough to make the impression of a very determined person. Being a tough girl, Astrid liked it in a man. She could have compared to this new guy to the one she had known all too well, but again, she forced herself to stop thinking about him. It went surprisingly easy, especially when the Gunnarson boy never answering Ruffnut's question about his home island, looked deep into Astrid's eyes. "Are you *the* Fearless Astrid Hofferson?"

"I guess... I am?"Astrid was gobsmacked. She never thought she had a reputation outside of Berk.

"I've heard a lot about you. And you fly a Nadder, right? This is so awesome. So anyways, nice to meet you, I'm Gunner Gunnarson, but everybody calls me Gunns."

"Nice to meet you too, Gunns. And yes... I fly a Nadder."

"Hey, I fly a Zippleback, that's even better than a Nadder.", claimed Ruffnut who started to feel a little bit left out...

"Oh, sorry, Ruffnut. Sure. I know Zipplebacks are exciting I've just always had a thing for Nadders. They're so majestic creatures." The guy looked into Astrid's eyes again.

She started to feel a bit uncomfortable, not because of his piercing, dark mahogany eyes, but she remembered that after running a couple of miles like a mad woman she must look really dirty and unkempt.

"Well, we could go for a ride, if you want to, I just need to go home and... put on some cleaner clothes."

"That'd be great. So meet you a little bit later at the Meade Hall? We were about to take a walk with Miss Thorston. Thank you, Astrid."

"See you, guys in a bit.", said Astrid before quickly heading for home.

Maybe that was all she needed, someone who distracts her thoughts from him.

And if that someone is as good looking as Gunner Gunnarson, it's all the better.

* * *

Hiccup didn't quite understand why did he feel slightly nervous because of not seeing Astrid all day. He had a pleasant day with Heather so far and the news about her forthcoming wedding made him cheerful and proud.

He was also glad to go on a dragon ride with her, but when a Nadder went by them with full speed, never even stopping for a 'hello', the slight nervousness turned into something more serious. Especially, when he spotted that there were to riders on the blue dragon, a girl, whose long, blonde braid was swimming in the air, and a boy, with dark brown hair, whose hands were tightly holding the blonde girls' slim waist.

* * *

When the Sun started to go down, Astrid and Gunns flew back to Berk. She had to admit that he was a charming company. He knew very well how to compliment in a moderate way that never made his kind words either awkward or annoying.

Astrid considered herself a tough girl and she has never thought that she actually liked if a boy said something nice about her – probably because *he* never actually complimented her. Of course, she knew it very well that he thought highly of her but from time to time it would have been nice if he had said something about her arms being strong or her aim being very precise. But he never did. Unlike...

When she arrived home, she sat down and enjoyed the silence for a while. It was nice to be alone, she was happy that her mom and dad went away and the house was all hers. It felt so grown up and being totally confused she desperately needed that now.

After a couple of minutes, she decided to go up to her room and change into something nice. Well, *nicer*, she didn't own any fancy clothes, why would she, but she did have a red tunic that really went well with her pale complexion and blonde hair.

She knew that it'd make Ruffnut angry, it seemed that she really did fancy that Gunns boy, but hey, sister, life isn't always fair. At least, it felt that hers wasn't.

Finally, to spice things up a little bit, she even decided on letting her hair down.

She hardly ever did that, but one way or another this party was really starting to turn into something special.

* * *

Hiccup and Heather arrived at the Meade Hall early. He didn't mind it at all, he wished to have a pint of mead to make his bad feelings go away a bit.

Yeah, at this point he had a very strong suspicion that something did happen he just didn't know what. He tried to remember the last time they had talked...

Well, last time they didn't really talk, and the thought of what they really did gave him the shivers. She was so close to him. He could literally feel every inch of her body... And then she ran away. Should he apologise for hugging her? Did he break the rules with showing more affection after their 'business kissing' than he should have? He was clueless. He wanted to talk to her so badly... except how could he do that when she is nowhere to be found?

Heather looked at Hiccup. Something was clearly on his mind – and it was obvious that it was not a happy thought. She really felt sorry for him and wished he could help, if only he had talked...

She poked his shoulder lightly to grab his attention. He looked at her with a frightened face.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, Heather, it's okay. I'm fine... I was just thinking about something that happened the other night."

"Was it a good thing?"

"The best... I mean it-it was... yes... it was okay."

Heather smiled when she saw the boy's face turning red, but she was very glad that at least she could make him talk.

"Okay... did it involve someone I happen to know?"

"It... might have."

"Does it help if I tell you that we, girls, sometimes behave oddly?"

"What does it suppose to mean?"

"Like the first time my boy kissed me, I kicked him really hard. Even though I really liked both him and the kiss."

Hiccup didn't react anything first, just started to play with his jug of mead, checking how much liquid was left in it.

He sighed deep, before continuing.

"She didn't kick me. She just... ran away."

"Was it the first...?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Nah. Second. Or... two-and-a-halfth. But she always does that."

Heather felt that his friend was suffering, she wanted to ease his misery she just didn't know how to do it.

"I don't even know how you can half-kiss someone.", she said lightly, gently placing a hand on his forearm.

"We were... khm, interrupted."

"Oh, I see."

"And also... these are not *real* kisses."

"Hiccup, it's getting weirder every time you add something to the story. Unreal half-kisses?"

"I know, it sounds odd. Okay... so we made a bet and she lost it and... now she has to kiss me seven times." His face was burning. He still tried to avoid the eye contact with Heather, so he kept fixing his hands and the liquid in the jug.

The girl started to laugh. Hiccup had to look at her now, not quite understanding what was so funny about his anguish.

"What fools you are.", said she finally, with a huge grin on her face.

"I know. But it's going to be over soon, so... then everything will be back to normal again."

"Oh, you wish."

Hiccup really wanted to know why Heather seemed so sceptic but at that minute the two Thorston siblings and a dark-haired tall stranger stepped into the hall.

He suspiciously resembled the guy Hiccup saw on the back of the Nadder.

* * *

Ruff and Tuff were quite happy when they saw Heather. They didn't hesitate for a minute but snatched her away from Hiccup in an ill-bred manner.

Being left their all alone, the unknown guy sit down at his table. Hiccup took a good look at him before saying a quite 'Hello' to him.

The guy offered him a hand to shake.

"Oh, hi. I'm Gunner Gunnarson. But you can call me Gunns."

"Hiccup Haddock. So, are you the friend of...?"

"Yes, sure, Ruff and Tuff. Awesome guys."

"So how do you know them?" Hiccup found it just a little bit suspicious that the nincompoop twins had acquaintances outside of Berk.

"You know, family. I've a cousin who married their second cousin. The usual."

"I see."

"So, can I ask you a question?" Gunns leaned a bit closer to Hiccup so no one could hear what ever he wanted to say.

"Sure. Sure. Go ahead."

"It might sound a bit random, but do you know Astrid Hofferson? Blonde girl, rides a Nadder."

"Sssure."

"Okay, sorry in advance, I'm probably a little bit too forward, but do you know if she has any significant other in her life?" Hiccup's jaw dropped.

"You mean a...?"

"Yeah, a boyfriend or a..."

Hiccup quickly shook his head. He raised his jug to his mouth and drank what was left of his mead.

"Okay. It seems that I ran out of this... so if you don't mind I'll go... It was nice talking to you... Gunns." He quickly stood up nearly stumbling over the chair he was sitting on. He wanted to get away as quickly as possible. This was so frustrating. Here was this guy, the perfect Viking, with broad shoulders, dark wavy hair and an exceptional smile. The embodiment of all teenage girls' wet dreams.

And then there was him. A clumsy oaf who had only one foot and was too afraid to tell the girl he liked that... that he liked her. That what started as a stupid bet wasn't a game for him anymore. Well, truth be told, it was the first time he dared to admit it to himself. And now the recognition that he might be late with the big confession made his heart hurt... It never occurred to him that there could be other suitors in her life one day. So much about taking her for granted.

He somehow made his way to the mead barrels where the rest of the guys were standing. He quickly filled his jug and started to drink it with big gulps as if it was the only remedy that could cure his aching soul.

"So you made friends with Gunns?", inquired Tuff.

Hiccup nodded while still drinking the sweet honey wine.

"He is quite a beguiler.", added Ruffnut. Hiccup made a weird face while wiping his mouth after finishing his second jug, when did Ruffnut expand her vocabulary?

"And here comes the deceptive friend.", she added fixing the entrance of the Hall.

"Hah, at least you didn't use the word 'harlot' this time." As always, Tuffnut took pleasure in the suffering of her sister. "But, boy, she looks... ", he added turning towards the door.

Hiccup, too, looked at the entrance. What he saw was easily the most beauteous thing he has ever seen in his life. It was Astrid. She was standing in the doorway, totally armour and weapon free in a red tunic, her golden hair waving around her figure as she turned her head, looking for someone.

"She looks different! That was the word I was searching for.", finished Tuffnut proudly. Hiccup's eyes followed her as she walked to the tall dark and handsome Gunner Gunnarson. At this point he thought it couldn't get any worse, but then the guy stood up and after chatting for a few seconds, he left the Hall with the golden girl.

* * *

"You're right, it does look nice.", declared Gunns when they finally stopped a couple hundred meters away from the village, looking back at the huge torches that were lit up for the occasion. He looked at the girl standing right next to him. He had to admit that even though there were a lot of pretty girls on his island, they meant no competition for Astrid Hofferson.

He had a goal in his mind and he wanted to reach it, whatever it takes.

"The only thing that is more beautiful... " The guy leaned very close to Astrid, his lips were only inches away from hers. The girl hesitated for a second and took a deep breath... before pushing him away.

"Look, Gunns. I'm afraid I have probably sent you the wrong message but I'm... I'm interested in someone else."

"Oh, this is embarrassing. I mean, I took the liberty and asked a guy about you having a boyfriend or something, but he said no."

"Who?", she said sounding rather surprised.

"He had a funny name... wait a minute... Cod? Oh, no, he was called Haddock."

Astrid felt that her face turned red. "No, he didn't... Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to go now."

Gunner Gunnarson looked after the girl who was many meters away two seconds later.

He really hated when he didn't get what he wanted. And she had something he really needed.

* * *

Hiccup finished his third jug of mead and was about to start his fourth one. He started to feel a little bit better thanks to the raising alcohol level in his bloodstream. But it was really hard not to think about her constantly... He was just about to apologise to Heather, he felt that tonight he was just the worst company ever. But suddenly he felt that someone grabbed his wrist from behind. He turned around and saw Astrid. Being utterly occupied by his misery he never even noticed when she had returned.

"We need to talk." Not even waiting for him to say anything, she started to drag him out of the Meade Hall. When they were outside, she lead him to the back of the building where they were away from the lights and the prying eyes of the other Vikings.

"Okay, what's the rush?", asked Hiccup when she let go of his hand.

"I want to get over with it as soon as possible, so I can go home." She sounded pretty angry but before the boy had a chance to say anything, she grabbed the collar of his tunic and pulled him down to her lips.

She quickly forced her tongue into his mouth and started to move around it in a manner that almost felt violent. For two short seconds he considered pushing her away but her rawness and probably the alcohol he consumed made his blood boil.

It was the very first time he felt that some savage instinct kicked in. He wanted to own this woman. He wanted to have her. He wanted to conquer her. He pushed his tongue inside her mouth and this time the whole thing felt like some kind of a battle that he just had to win. He was now reckless enough to put his hands around her parts that were usually covered by her spiky skirt and tried to pull her closer to himself, but his bold action made her furious.

She pushed him away with full force and slapped him hard.

"Ouch. Why would you do that?!", he asked angrily placing a palm on his face that was madly burning. Apparently, this wasn't enough for her. She started to punch his arm. "And that's what you get for calling me 'problematic'."

"Ouch. Would you stop that?!", said Hiccup in a stern voice, her aggression was more than annoying now. When she didn't stop, he grabbed both of her wrists pushed them down next to her hips and held them tight.

"I don't even know where or how you've heard that but you should have listened to the whole thing before assuming that I have problems with you. But you know what? I do have problems with you now, because I happen to hate this all this aggression." At this point he realized that he was holding her wrists very tightly, so he let go off them and looked away from her.

"You know, I'm starting to think that this whole bet was a very stupid idea. I feel really confused and... it disturbs me." When he finished the sentence he looked into her eyes. She saw anguish in them...

"Not 20 minutes ago, Gunner used all of his charm to seduce me. I kind of feel stupid now that I left him there to rush to you."

"Yeah, probably it was your worst idea ever." He bent down a bit and leaned closer to her face. "I planned to take you on a night ride, just to show you how much I... appreciate your company. But I'd rather go alone now."

"Brilliant idea.", she said pushing him away a bit "I'm going to spend the night in the company of someone I really enjoy to be with: myself. Have fun with the others, I'm going home." With that said, she turned her back and left.

Hiccup stood there for some minutes, not knowing whether he should shout or cry. He ended up not doing either of them. He decided on going back to the Hall to say goodbye to the others before returning home.

* * *

When he returned to the Hall he noticed that even though he had the worst night of his life, the others seemingly had boatloads of fun. He went back to the Thorston kids who stayed close to the mead barrels. He was offered a jug and he quickly accepted it, taking a huge gulp. He looked around but couldn't see the person he was looking for.

"Tuff, have you seen Gunns?", he asked.

"Last time I saw him, he was with Astrid. Do you think he might get lucky tonight? Astrid's parents are gone...", said the quite tipsy Tuffnut.

"I thought he was spending the night at your house."

"Nah, why would he?"

"He said you were friends."

"Yeah, we met him this morning, he is an awesome guy, isn't he?"

Hiccup found it strange. He got used to the twins being a little stupid but they were not *that* stupid.

"Wait a minute... he said your cousins were married or something."

"Our cousins? Do we even have cousins, Ruff?", he said turning to his sister.

Hiccup never listened to her answer, it was pretty clear that the guy was up to no good. He lied from the first minute he put his feet on Berk and he...

"Astrid!", he said before rushing out of the door leaving the confused twins behind.

* * *

When she was far away from Hiccup, Astrid decided on taking a walk on the shore before going home. She needed to clear her head and she thought the sound of the waves and the sand between her toes would probably calm her down.

When she arrived to the sandy beach she took of her boots and started to kick the sand under her feet. She tried not to think about anything at all, now that her anger was pretty much gone and the feeling of regret wasn't yet kicking in.

She sighed deep. She looked at the water. There was a boat not very far from her. She entertained the idea of jumping in and sailing away. But there was someone at the boat... A shadow of a man was getting closer to her. It was dark so she couldn't see him clearly, but his silhouette looked familiar.

When he was only a couple of steps away she recognized him.

"Hi Gunns, I'm sorry, but could you just leave me alone? I'm not in the best of moods.",she said almost begging. She was surprised how weak her voice sounded.

The guy came closer. He was now only two or three steps away.

"Sorry, can't do. Listen, we can do this the easy way or the hard..." He raised his right hand so she could see that he was holding a dagger. Astrid knew she was a good fighter, probably one of the bests on Berk, but she also knew that she could not fight a dagger with bare hands.

She tried not to look as frightened as she was.

"What do you want, Gunnarson?"

"Take off your clothes.", he ordered her and stabbed into the air to put more emphasize on his words.

Astrid knew she had no choice. She took off her red tunic and held out to the guy. He quickly grabbed it and looked at her. Astrid felt completely naked even though she still had couple of layers on her.

She closed her eyes for a second trying to close out the world around her. She felt sad. Not because of her hopeless situation, she couldn't do anything about it, but because of how she treated Hiccup right before she was ambushed by this idiot...

'If nothing remains of me but a memory, it should have been a nicer one.', Astrid thought.

She still refused to open her eyes but she heard that her attacker stepped closer to her again. Then she felt a sharp pain on her temple as he hit her with the hilt of his dagger.

She was no longer in control of her body as she collapsed on the sand, but for the last remaining conscious seconds she was thinking about Hiccup and him only.

'Please, forgive me.", she thought weakly before losing contact with the outside world.

* * *

**Okay, this new guy turned out to be a villain, but he has good reasons for doing what he did. **

**So don't you worry this was not some random act of violance.**


End file.
